


Five Years Apart

by molossiamerica



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Breakup, Human AU, M/M, USUK - Freeform, aph, getting back together after a break up, these guys are so nerdy omg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 05:23:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7671748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/molossiamerica/pseuds/molossiamerica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur broke up with a man he was still in love with and moved to London just after his thirtieth birthday. Five years later, he’s still madly in love with the same man... Who has recently moved into his apartment building. Will they rekindle their lost love, or are they doomed to repeat the past?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Years Apart

“Yo! Hold that door, dude!”

Arthur jumped, surprised by the sudden yell, and even more at the realization that it was directed at him. Jumping forward, he placed a hand on the rapidly closing elevator door and watched as it retracted after making contact with his open palm. Relieved, he looked up to find the source of the yell… Only to wish he hadn’t.

His heart leapt into his throat at the mere sight of the man running toward him, all beautiful golden-blonde hair and perfect, bright blue eyes. Arthur’s eyes bulged, every coherent thought leaving his head to be replaced by _shit shit shit that’s Alfred that’s the man I fell in love with and the man I left and ohmygod he’s getting into the elevator shit shit shit!_

“Dude, thanks!” The man exclaimed, his beautiful, knee-weakening voice music to Arthur’s ears.

“Th-That’s alright,” Arthur stuttered pathetically, keeping his head down. _Please don’t recognize please don’t recognize me please don't—_

“Woah, Arthur? That you?”

_Fuck._

Arthur gulped and slowly, reluctantly, raised his head, looking into the eyes of the man he’d loved all those years ago and still loved today, the man he’d never gotten over, the man he still thought about _every day_ , the man who Arthur had left in favor of his career and the reason he’d regretted moving back to London to work for a publishing company, the very _definition_ of his fantasies. He was here, in front of him, still with those same adorable glasses and the same beautiful golden blond hair and the same stubborn cowlick, the same beautiful blue eyes and the same gorgeous body…

“Ah… Yes. Hello, Alfred. How are you?” The Brit questioned, forcing his thin lips to form a smile.

Alfred beamed down at him, his height still staggering in comparison to Arthur’s, as he was easily over a foot taller than him.

“Dude, I thought that was you! It’s so great to see you again! What’s it been, like, five years?” Alfred asked in that charming, excited voice that made the butterflies in his stomach swarm, fluttering rapidly and without reason.

The Brit nodded, trying to keep his face falling from the mention of their time spent apart. Five years without Alfred was like five thousand years without water; hell, five days without Alfred was like five thousand years without water. Arthur had moved to America at eighteen, met Alfred two weeks before he’d turned twenty-seven, and had stayed with the American until just after his thirtieth birthday. He’d received an invitation to move back to London for a new job, a dream job as an editor at a well known publishing company, and, fearful that his relationship with Alfred was a dead-end, he’d left, tearing himself away from the best man he’d ever known and breaking his heart in the process.

“Y-Yes, it would seem so,” Arthur said, ignoring the overwhelming remorse he felt.

“Wow. Man, you haven’t aged a day!” The American beamed as he walked toward the floor buttons, pressing down on the number four. “Where’re you headed?” He asked, casting a look over his shoulder at the Brit.

“Ah… The same, actually.” Arthur said, watching the doors close and encapsulate the two together.

All alone with Alfred in an elevator after five long years… Five years of trying to get over him and failing, of alternating between wishing desperately to see him and wishing desperately to forget that they had ever been together. Five years of wishing he could go back in time and fix the biggest mistake of his life, of praying that he and Alfred would still somehow be together someday… And now he was trapped in an elevator making small talk with the very embodiment of Arthur’s every hope and fantasy.

“So, what brings you to London, and this building, particularly? Visiting someone?” Arthur asked curiously, unwilling to let awkward silence consume them lest he be alone with his thoughts.

“I got a job opportunity, actually! Weird coincidence, right? I’m gonna be teaching astronomy and astrophysics at the University of London!”

Arthur smiled. “Wow, that sounds lovely. So, must I call you professor from now on?” He joked, offering a small, fake chuckle.

Alfred, however, beamed, accepting the joke and laughing loudly, the sound like music to Arthur’s ears. Everything sounded lovelier when coming from Alfred’s mouth, and his laughter was the second most beautiful thing Arthur had ever heard, the first being Alfred whenever he said ‘I love you’ to Arthur. Although it had been a while since Arthur had heard the latter, he knew that he would carry it with him for the rest of his life.

“Pffft, sure! I don’t wanna have some kinda stuffy title like that, my students’ll probably just call me Jones or somethin’. Anyway, I live here now! Just moved in a few days ago. What about you?”

Arthur fought the urge to gasp in shock and let his eyes bulge. Instead, he kept his composure despite the utter turmoil that consumed him at knowing that he and Alfred would be in such close proximity to each other, and would likely see a lot of each other.

“I live here as well. I hope you like your flat? I find them to be rather nice. The walls aren’t thin or anything like some of the shoddy places I’ve stayed in before, really; can’t hear a thing from either of my neighbors.” The Brit replied.

“Dude, sweet! I hope so! Seems like a real nice place! And, hey, I already have a friend in the building!” The American said with a wink.

Arthur resisted the urge to swoon at the simple move, pale cheeks flushing. Although it was embarrassing to be so easily affected by Alfred, he didn’t have time to dwell on it as the elevator beeped, alerting it’s passengers that it had arrived at their destination.

Desperate to escape the situation, Arthur rushed off with a hurried goodbye, only to stop at the sudden call of his name.

“Look, I know what happened between us was pretty bad, but… I’m totally over it now and I don’t hold any grudges, so… I really hope we can move past it and be friends again.” Alfred said softly.

Arthur looked into the American's eyes suddenly felt enveloped in a strong, comfortable warmth that consumed him whole. Alfred had seen so much evil in the world, and yet he still had the capacity to look at Arthur with so much hope and affection in those gorgeous blue eyes. Alfred’s startling innocence and ability to see the best in everyone had been one of Arthur’s favorite things about him, and it was still true now. Alfred’s eyes were windows to his soul, and his soul was full of so much hope and radiance and… was that affection?

Arthur’s breath hitched in his throat and he shoved the notion down, cursing himself. Alfred was over him, had moved on! There was no way he was looking at him with that kind of affection in his eyes. No matter how much it hurt Arthur, he had to accept that his feelings were one-sided.

Even so, he couldn’t help but to do what Alfred wanted; a look like that melted Arthur will to nothing, and he was helpless to do anything but what the gorgeous American wanted of him. So, with a great pang of sadness in his heart, Arthur told Alfred yes, he would like that very much, and agreed to meet him for lunch two days later on their breaks.

 

 

It wasn’t long after that seeing Alfred became a regular occurrence. They’d been friends for three months now, and after getting over the initial awkwardness of spending time with the ex Arthur was still madly in love with and coping with the overwhelming feelings of regret and sadness, it was actually quite pleasant. Alfred was just as amazing as Arthur remembered, and whenever they were together Arthur completely forgot about all that had happened between them, simply content to enjoy their time together.

They met once a week on their lunch break and ate together before returning to work, and spent just about every weekend together, doing everything from trekking into the countryside for a hike to venturing into the heart of London for a day of adventuring. On this particular Saturday, the pair found themselves in a pub, celebrating Alfred’s recent job promotion. Since Alfred had wanted to celebrate, the pair had picked a pub within easy walking distance of their flats, and were currently downing beers like no tomorrow.

Both men found themselves drunk in no time, although it was even less for Arthur. They were slumped in their stools, talking animatedly about something random, when Arthur suddenly burst into a new topic.

“Were you e-excited to see me? You know, in the lift?” He questioned, his voice slurred so much he could barely be understood.

“Dude, 'course I was!” Alfred exclaimed, his own voice equally as sloppy. “I mean, I know we had some reaaaal rough times together an’ all, but I missed ya! I mean, you were like, the one that fuckin’ got away 'er whatever, yanno?” He admitted.

“What? N-No, I wasn’t!” Arthur asked, his expression a mix between happiness and shock.

“Yeah, ya were! I mean, I wush—I was like, sooooo in love with ya, man. Gonna marry ya and everything. S-So when ya left I was all sad an’ shit…”

“’M so sorry!” Arthur cried, louder than he intended. “I g-got so caught up in—in this… this fantasy job, but it was all rubbish without you! I-I always wished I never left you… Y'were the b-best thing that ever happened in my miserable life.”

“Hey, man, yer life isn’t miserable!” Alfred insisted, frowning as if taking personal offense to Arthur’s self-depreciating comment. “C'mooooon, Artie, y'needed to! I mean, y'can get anyone ya want… Pretty green eyes and them cute freckles, an’… an’ yer just so perfect…”

Arthur leaned forward, green eyes glazed over. He wore a sultry smile as he gazed at the American, their faces barely two inches apart. “No, you’re perfect,” he quipped before leaning in to press his lips against the American’s.

Alfred responded enthusiastically, clumsy arms wrapping themselves around Arthur’s waist as he wrenched the man off his barstool and into his arms, the pair kissing sloppily for a moment before breaking apart. They gazed at each other for a second before a grin slipped onto Alfred’s face and he stood, dragging the Brit out the door.

“C'mon, ’m takin’ you home and we’re gonna, like, have sex.” Alfred told him as he staggered down the street, Arthur in tow and equally as uncoordinated.

They made it to their building after a few minutes of stumbling around, finally making it to the elevator. Alfred managed to press the right floor button purely by chance, and as soon as the task was completed he was turning back to Arthur, tugging the man into his arms.

They kissed until they were on their floor, locked in a tight embrace. Alfred refused to let go of Arthur as they stumbled to his room, and while he was unlocking the door Arthur began to let his hands roam, slipping his clumsy hands underneath Alfred’s shirt to feel the hard, suntanned chest that lay beneath.

The door swung open after a moment and Alfred kicked it closed with the keys still in the lock, stumbling toward his bedroom. Arthur pressed himself against Alfred, continuing to feel the American’s body as he stumbled, backward, into the American’s room.

Once inside, Alfred hoisted Arthur into the air and threw him down upon his bed, clambering atop of him and peppering him with kisses. Despite the utter clumsiness of the whole affair, both men cared not; they poured five years of love and lust and want and need into the moment, giving and taking until there was nothing left and they both collapsed, exhausted, against each other, and fell asleep.

 

 

The next morning, Arthur woke with a pounding head and a sore bum.

Groaning at the terrible feeling, he opened his eyes and squinted against the harsh sunlight filtering in through a nearby window, wishing for all it was worth that this god-awful hangover would be gone in time to meet Alfred for a late lunch-early dinner later today.

Alfred… Wait! What the hell had happened to Alfred last night? To his shame, Arthur had gotten completely drunk last night, and had no memory of ever parting ways with Alfred. Oh, God, what if something had happened to him?

Now ignoring his hangover completely, Arthur sat up, intending to locate his phone and call Alfred immediately, only to realize that this was definitely not his room. Oh, God. Not only had he apparently abandoned Alfred last night, but he’d abandoned him for some shitty one-night stand that he couldn’t even remember. Oh, he was such an arse…

Arthur gulped, immediately beginning to survey the room. Various posters for bands, movies, and other franchises had been taped to the walls, along with a few photos. Arthur glanced over, noting that there was one photo hanging on the wall beside the bed. A photo of Alfred standing beside a man whom Arthur quickly recognized as Alfred’s twin brother, Matthew. The Brit’s green eyes narrowed in confusion, large brows furrowing for a moment before, with a gasp, he realized what had happened.

His head jerked to the side and he let out an involuntary scream, seeing Alfred beside him, sleeping peacefully and with absolutely no shirt on. A white sheet had been draped over him, slughtly translucent, and it confirmed Arthur’s assumptions. Alfred was naked, and so was he. They had slept together last night. Oh, _God._

Of course, it was then that Alfred chose to wake up.

He groaned in similar fashion to Arthur, opening his lovely blue eyes. They flitted over, immediately settling on the man beside him. He frowned, confused, at the man beside him.

“Arthur? What’re you…” Alfred’s eyes moved lower, his sentence trailing off as he took stock of the scene. “Wait… Did we…?” His eyes abruptly went wide, realization sending a jolt of utter shock through his system.

“Oh my god!” Arthur cried, all thoughts of his hangover gone as he clambered out of Alfred’s bed and snatched his clothes, hurriedly pulling on his boxer briefs.

“Shit,” Alfred mumbled, suntanned cheeks flushed. “I’m so sorry, Arthur, I—I seriously didn’t mean to… I-I wasn’t even thinking about it when I said we should go to the pub, I thought I would be able to control myself…” Alfred said, burying his face into his hands.

“Control yourself?” Arthur echoed as he pulled himself into his slacks. “Do you mean to tell me that you planned this?!” He shouted.

“No!” Alfred cried hurriedly. “God, no! I was fuckin’ wasted, like I assume you were! But I was—I-I…” He trailed off, averting his eyes.

“What, Alfred? What are you getting at? Is this some kind of bet or something? Why the hell are you acting as if you knew this might happen?! Is that really your impression of me?!” Arthur yelled, fuming and embarrassed.

He felt like such an idiot! He couldn’t remember what had happened last night, but he’d probably been the one to initiate it; every single time he saw Alfred, he became more desperate to be with him, physically and romantically. He should have known that he wouldn’t be able to control himself if he was drunk!

“No! It was nothing like that, I swear! I just—Every time I see you I get more and more—Shit, Arthur, I dunno! It’s been five fucking years and I still—I still feel like a dumb highschooler with a crush on his teacher around you! 'Cause it’s so obvious that you’re over me and I thought I was over you but we’re spending all this time together and I’m not!” The American cried angrily.

Shakily, he reached out and grabbed his comforter from where it lay on the floor, pulling it over himself and resolutely refusing to look at the stunned Brit.

“Look, I… I understand if you don’t wanna see me anymore. I’m really sorry.” Alfred mumbled.

“What?! Are you kidding me?!” Arthur cried, running a hand through his pale blond hair in utter shock.

“I know! It’s so stupid to fall in love with you again after everything but I—”

“You—You fucking idiot!” Arthur hollered as he rushed toward the bed, crawling to Alfred and grabbing the man’s face. “I’ve spent five years of my bloody life thinking of you constantly, pining after you, wishing I had never left you… And then you came back into my life, and I was in so much pain but I was so happy, too! A-And I worked so fucking hard to make sure that I never looked like I was still in love with you even though I am, after all this time I never fucking got over you!”

Alfred stared at him for a moment, eyes widened in utter shock, before he reached out, grabbing Arthur’s face in return and wrenching him forward until their lips met. They melted against each other for a moment before Arthur abruptly pulled away, looking concerned.

“Alfred, I have to say this.” He said, gulping as looked into the blond’s gorgeous eyes.

“Okay… What is it? You’re not breaking up with me again, are you?” Alfred joked, but there was worry in his eyes.

“No, no, God, no. I wanted to apologize for that. Alfred, I’m so bloody sorry. I love you so much. I’ve always loved you, but I was so scared—we weren’t married and it didn’t seem like we would be any time soon, and I thought that meant you wouldn’t commit, and I was so afraid you wouldn’t come with me to London and that we’d break up so I just—I figured I should do it before you did it to me! But I was wrong, I-I wish every day that I would’ve never even taken this stupid job! It wasn’t worth it without you beside me.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up. Look, I get it. I was twenty-five. I was scared as shit, and I really had no idea what you wanted from me. I seriously wanted to marry you, but…” Alfred trailed off with a shake of his head. “Listen to me. None of that even matters, alright? 'Cause we’re here now, and we got a second chance. Okay? So as long as you don’t ever put your job before our relationship… We’re good.”

Arthur sighed in relief and leaned in again, pressing his lips to Alfred’s. “I won’t,” he said, his lips grazing the American’s, “I love you, Alfred.”

“Mmmm, love you too.” Alfred grinned against Arthur’s lips before pulling him into a warm embrace.

**Author's Note:**

> This work has already been posted to my writing blog, afjakwrites.tumblr.com! Feel free to head over there and check out the blog! 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any reviews and kudos!


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